Welcome to Connected Nation’s Broadband data center. Here you will find the latest research, policy and mapping efforts of Connected Nation and our programs. We invite you to explore our work on the adoption, access and use of broadband.

DATA CENTER - MAPPING

Broadband Availability Trends

As part of the State Broadband Initiative (SBI) grant program, Connected Nation analyzed broadband service information to determine the percentage of households that have various levels of high-speed internet access. We have compiled these broadband trends, which show access by speed tiers, technology type, etc. over the past few years.

FCC and Universal Service Fund Maps

The FCC is in the process of modernizing all of its universal service funding programs to support broadband access, adoption, and use. Connected Nation regularly compiles and publishes maps and data related to major developments in these FCC programs, including the Connect America Fund, the Mobility Fund, and the Rural Broadband Experiments.

Education and Broadband Maps

In September 2012, Connected Nation explored the role of broadband in education. Below are several custom national maps, exploring how the access, adoption, and use of technology depends on education.

High School Dropout Rate

Percent of County Residents with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher

Percent of County Residents with a High School Diploma

USF Mobility Fund Eligibility Maps & Analysis

Connected Nation has released maps and analysis of areas that need improved access to next-generation mobile broadband networks.

Recently, the Federal Communications Commission announced its plans to distribute $300 million in wireless infrastructure subsidies to many areas in Connected Nation’s ten-state footprint. These subsidies – called the Mobility Fund – will be allocated later in 2012. Our analysis compares the FCC’s list of areas eligible for these subsidies to our own broadband inventory information.

Our analysis focuses upon areas that do not have access to mobile download speeds of 1.5 Mbps. Every “3G” technology that the FCC will subsidize with the Mobility Fund is expected to have the potential of delivering at least 1.5 Mbps service.

National Broadband Map

On February 17, 2011, the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released an interactive National Broadband Map.

The National Broadband Map is a tool to search, analyze, and map broadband availability across the United States. It is created and maintained by the NTIA, in collaboration with the FCC, and in partnership with 50 states, five territories, and the District of Columbia.

This map showcases data received from these states and territories, including data from the 13 Connected Nation mapping initiatives.

KEY FEATURES OF THE NATIONAL BROADBAND MAP INCLUDE:

- Interactive and searchable, by address, city, or county;- Shows multiple speed tiers. For example, users are able to generate a map of areas in which advertised download speeds of 10 Mbps are available;- Visible by Technology Platform. Users are able to select and map specific broadband platform technologies, be it cable, DSL, fiber to the premises, fixed wireless (licensed and unlicensed), or mobile wireless;- Shows service-provider coverage areas. This allows the user to generate coverage maps of a particular service provider, by speed tier and technology.

Already, Connected Nation has produced a variety of interactive and static maps for 12 states and Puerto Rico. You can explore those maps on the individual initiatives pages linked on the state programs page.

SO, HOW ARE OUR MAPS DIFFERENT FROM THE NATIONAL BROADBAND MAP?The key differences are:

- State maps display broadband data differently than the National Broadband Map based on the requirements for the submission of data to NTIA, specifically the granular level of the data.

- The state maps feature more granular-level aggregated data because states can decide at which level they want to showcase data.